


Chained Wings

by Cassiel_Angel_of_the_Lord



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Slavery, lawyer!Sam, mechanic!Dean, slave!Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-30
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-11 00:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2046531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassiel_Angel_of_the_Lord/pseuds/Cassiel_Angel_of_the_Lord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All the Angels are slaves, but what happens when Dean decides to free one?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chained Wings

Dean had always found the Angels to be very interesting, heck, even lovable in some sense of the word. Though Dean never really approved of it, his family has had Angel slaves for as long as he can remember. His father was practically raised by the Angel that lived with him as a child. That Angel’s name was Camael, and his father never spoke of her except for the few times John had been so drunk that he was past the point of anger and into the state of loathing.

  
John spoke of Camael like a very protective older sister, but anytime Dean would ask what happened to her, John would stop and say, “It’s none of your damn business!”

  
Dean never did find out what happened to Camael.

  
All the Angels were split into three categories: Guardian, Working, and Warrior. All Angels started at the Warrior category it taught them discipline and it taught them how to follow orders for when they were moved into one of the other two categories.

  
The Workers worked in factories and dealt with the machines that were often dangerous to humans, or they worked in the places were humans couldn’t go period because it was to toxic.

  
The Guardian were the nannies of sort. They raised the children of well off families or for those parents who weren’t fit enough to raise their own children.  
John was one of those parents. He got drunk most nights, and he went off for weeks at a time not telling Dean or Sam where he was going or when he would come back. So Sam and Dean both had their own Guardian Angels that stayed with them when John went MIA.

  
Dean’s Guardian was an Angel named Michael. Michael was an okay Guardian, he wasn’t very interested in Dean’s life. He mainly just made sure Dean ate when he needed to, did his school work, got to practices on time, and went to bed at a reasonable hour. So Dean never was very close to his Guardian but that was alright, he still greatly enjoyed the time they spent together.

  
Sam’s was a very peculiar Angel named Lucifer. He was very kind to Sam, but Sam just didn’t seemed all that interested in the angel. Lucifer would go out of his way to make Sam as comfortable and happy as possible, but Sam would seem totally uninterested in the angel’s kind gestures. Dean asked him about it once.

  
“Sammy why aren’t you grateful for your Guardian’s kindness? At least he shows interest in you.” Dean question late one night after they were told to go to bed.

  
“I don’t want the attention, I’m grateful that they provide for us, but I don’t need a Guardian.” Sam answered in a whisper. He then turned onto his side, back facing Dean, and fell asleep in under a minute.

  
Dean never understood it, but he accepted his brother’s response.

  
~15 years later~

  
John had died five years ago in a fire that had engulfed their whole house. Dean and Sam were out collecting a few papers to get Sammy signed up for college when they got the call that their father was dead. John had set the fire. But it wasn’t only his own life that he had took.

  
The Angels aren’t as powerful as they are supposed to be. When they become slaves their power is drained to a bare minimum. Thus all Angels have their wings showing all the time, and they are able to be over powered by a human if necessary. John had over powered Michael and Lucifer and had trapped them in a ring of holy fire. How he had done it Dean still didn’t know, but he had. And both of their Guardians burned with their father.

  
Sam thought it was a way for John to teach them one last lesson. Don’t grow too attached to anything. He may have been right.

  
A few short months later Sam went to college and Dean began working in a garage. Dean had done well in school but he had no interest in continuing his education.

  
The next four years were uneventful. Sam was well on his way to becoming a damn good lawyer, and Dean was known as one of the best mechanics in the state. Sam was a raving advocate to Angel Rights, Dean of course agreed with him on the cause, but it was still a minority as far as beliefs go. But on the up side it was a growing belief.

  
“Hey, Sammy, I have a question for you. What do you think about me getting a Worker?” Dean asked his brother over the phone one day.

  
“Dean, I’ve told you it’s not right. Those poor Angels go through Hell, why would you make one work?” Sam scolded.

  
“I’m not talking about as a slave, Sam. I mean get a Worker and free them, if they wish to continue to work for me they can, and they’ll get paid. If they just wish to stay and relax they may. I just want a friend, man, someone to talk to through the long days.” Dean explained.

  
“Why not just get a girlfriend then, instead of your normal one night stands?” Sam questioned rolling his eyes although his brother couldn’t see it.

  
“Too much commitment. I don’t want a relationship I just want a friend, and one that might actually be interested in what I do.” Dean stated sighed and rubbed his hand down the side of his face.

  
“Do whatever you want Dean that is your choice. But you do realize that if you free the Angel they could leave?” Sam warned.

  
Dean paused a moment to consider this but it made sense. If you were a slave and your master just freed you wouldn’t you want to get as far away as possible from the people that made you a slave in the first place?

  
“I know, and if they leave, they leave. That is their decision to make.” Dean decided sadly, but excepted the possibility.

  
“Okay then. Good luck, Dean.” Sam said with a sigh, and hung up. Dean hadn’t learned the lesson that John tried to teach them by killing their Guardians. Dean loved fiercely, and he stayed attached to others for life, no matter how short of a time he knew them. And tore his big brother up each time he lost a loved one.  
Dean placed the phone back on the charger and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair in his office.

  
“Hey, Benny, I’m heading out for the day.” Dean called as he exited the garage.

  
“Where are you going?” Benny called back wiping his hands on a dirty rag covered in grease.

  
“I’m getting a Worker.” Dean answered.

  
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean we would have to train them and everything.” Benny said unsure of the situation.

  
“It’ll be fine I’ll train them, don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.” Dean answered and walked over to his beloved Impala without another word.

  
It took an hour to drive into the city where they had the distribution centers. It consisted of four building standing in a square pattern with each building placed at each of the cardinal directions. All the building were huge skyscrapers, with a two words painted in large block letters over the doors.

  
At the north building it said Heart followed by the word Guardians underneath it. The east building said Body followed by Warriors. The South building said Mind followed by Workers. And the west building said Grace followed by Commanders.

  
“Commanders? What the hell is that?” Dean asked allowed.

  
“The Commanders building is where you go when you have chosen the Angel you would like to take under your command.” Said a voice from behind him. Dean jumped, startled by the voice, “My apologies it was not my intention to scare you. My name is Naomi I will be your guide through the facility.”

  
Naomi was in a sharp grey suit with her light brown hair pulled up in a tight bun. Under the cuffs of her suit just barely within sight was a pair of small silver bracelets, they glowed slightly with the power that they held over her. All Angels wore them, they were the chains that kept them bound to Earth and their masters. She had pale marble colored wings that were folded up on her back. They curved up a couple of inches above her shoulder blades and swept down to the end of her longest flight feathers which reached the middle of her calf. She seemed trustworthy but here dark eyes almost seemed threatening so Dean accepted her help and allowed himself to be led around the campus.

  
“I’m Dean; I’m just here to look for a Worker.” He informed, following Naomi around the large fountain that spouted water in large arcs onto the statue in the middle of the fountain. The statue was of an Angel with its wings spread out across the ground bowing to the human in front of them. It was a very well recognized image of submission and domination over the Angels. And Dean was sure that somewhere on the base of the fountain there would be the moto that every child learned from when they are very young. ‘Guarded by heart, Powered through mind, Protected by body, and led by kindness and grace.’

  
They entered the Workers building. It was huge, clean, and blindingly white. It reminded Dean of how hospitals often looked. There was a simple desk set in the middle of the large entrance way, there sat another Angel. This Angel was also in a suit with glowing bracelets around its wrists. But this Angel was nearly bald and was a lot heavier than most of the Angels that Dean had ever seen. His wings were a dark brown with little highlights of crème at the very end of each of his feathers.

  
“Zachariah, would you please take Dean here to look through the Workers. I’m being called back to the office, and I would like for him to find a good match.” Naomi questioned the Angel behind the desk with a look that let you know that what she had said was not a question it was a command.

  
“Of course, Naomi.” Zachariah answered quickly getting up from the desk and walking around to bow curtly at the waist in respect to Dean’s rank in comparison to himself.

  
“Please don’t do that.” Dean spoke quickly, not liking the questioning looks he got from the two Angels after he had said that, “It just makes me uncomfortable.”

  
“As you wish, sir, please follow me.” Zachariah replied straightening up and leading Dean to the elevator that was on the exact opposite side of the room that the front entrance was situated. When they stepped into the elevator Dean saw as Naomi walked out of the front entrance stretching and shaking her wings out as she welcomed the outside air.

  
“How long have some of the Angels lived here?” Dean asked genuinely curious due to the complete lack of Angels in the main entrance of the building.

  
“Some have only been here a few days, since we get Angels transferred here from other departments. Others have been here a bit longer, because they aren’t well behaved or don’t make a good first impression. But all of the Angels here are treated very well.” Zachariah added the last part in haste after he saw Dean’s look of disapproval.

  
They arrived at the top floor of the building; level eight is what the sign said. Dean and Zachariah stepped out of the elevator and Dean glanced up and down the hall ways. They were empty. There were many rooms lining the hallways of the floor, but there was not one living soul in any of the hallways.

  
“Where is everyone?” Dean asked hesitantly.

  
“They’re in their rooms. The Angels are only allowed out of their rooms for three hours a day, but they have a lot of things that they are able to do in their rooms, so they don’t mind it that much.” Zachariah’s wings twitched at what he had said. He was lying, and Dean knew it. This made him sick just thinking about how terrible these poor, beautiful creatures were being treated. And by their own kind as well!

  
“Well are you going to introduce me to some of them?” Dean asked in a bitter tone.

  
“Oh… Of course, right this way. Might I ask what is your Worker is going to be doing?” Zachariah assured briskly and started walking down the east bound hallway.

  
“Working on cars. So they need to be able to learn fast, and be fairly strong.” Dean replied keeping pace with Zachariah.

  
“I see.” Zachariah deadpanned, “Well there is Bartholomew, Uriel, Samandriel, Ezekiel, Gadreel, Balthazar, Anna, Hael, Malachi, Virgil, Inias, Hester, Muriel, Rachel, and Castiel. Though I would not suggest taking Gadreel, Anna, Balthazar, Samandriel or Castiel.”

  
“And why is that?” Dean prompted raising an eyebrow at why he had singled those Angels out.

  
“They are…um…a bit dangerous. They aren’t exactly the most disciplined or responsive of our choices here, but they are some of the strongest, so that is why I listed them.” Zachariah informed his wings were stiff against his back as if he felt uncomfortable talking about them.

  
“Let me meet them.” Dean ordered stopping were he stood in the hallway.

  
“But, sir, they’re-”

  
“I said let me meet them, that’s an order.” Dean hated having to order an Angel around but sometimes that was the only way to get through to them.

  
“Of course, sir. Just go wait in the meeting room at the other end of the hall, I’ll bring in each of them one at a time.” Zachariah complied bowing slightly at Dean’s command.

  
Dean nodded in agreement and walked down the empty hall way to the meeting room. As he passed a few of the doors he looked in to them to see what he could. A few of them were empty but the many that had occupants were sad. The rooms were completely white with a small window placed in the outside wall. The window had bars over it and the rooms looked more like jail cells then a place to call home before they got a master.

  
Dean saw one Angel in particular that caught his attention. He was sitting on his bed with his back facing the door, he was looking out the small window. In his lap sat a red kite with bees drawn all over it. The kite was the only spot of color in the room. The Angel’s wings were midnight black with iridescent color swirling across them when he shifted, and although his wings were gorgeous they were also a mess. The feathers were bent and there was dust and twigs caught in his wings, it couldn’t have been comfortable to have so much debris caught in your feathers. The Angel must have sense Dean looking at him and he turned to see what the disturbance was. And man were his eyes blue! Dean smiled slightly and waved at the Angel, and in response the Angel cocked his head to the side and looked like a confused puppy dog. Which Dean refused to admit was adorable.

  
Then Dean walked away and headed to the meeting room like he was instructed. The meeting room was much different from all the other rooms he had seen in the facility so far. This room was large and open. It had crème colored walls with golden gilding around the edges of the molding. There were four different large pictures of angels up on the wall, and there was a huge dining room table placed in the center of the room. The table had a bunch of different food and drink set up on it almost to make it seem more welcoming. Then Dean remembered where he was and what he had seem thus far and he glared at the food and their attempt to make it seem okay to treat their own kind like prisoners.

  
After a few minutes Zachariah brought in the first Angel. This Angel was fairly tall, and he had a strong jaw line and he made himself seem very imposing. He had dark grey wings speckled with white spots almost like freckles on his wings, and the Angel had his wings folded tight against his back like a suit of armor attempting to keep him safe. Almost as if he had been hurt and he was trying to keep it from happening again or he was trying to hide the injury.  
“This is Gadreel.” Zachariah reported and nudged Gadreel to remind him that he needed to show respect. Gadreel bowed very little and didn’t dare move his wings from where they were folded on his back. When he straighten up he winced slightly, and Dean smiled at him kindly.

  
“Hey Gadreel, I’m Dean it’s nice to meet you.” Dean stepped forward and offered him a handshake in a show of mutual respect. Gadreel didn’t accept it he flinched away from it.

  
Gadreel replied with a soft, “It’s an honor to meet you, Dean.”

  
Dean lowered his hand to his side, and watched as Gadreel attempted to look everywhere in the room except at him.

  
“Okay, that is enough Gadreel; I’ll bring in the next one shortly.” Zachariah informed leading Gadreel out of the room.

  
Everything here was so much worse than how he originally thought it was. One by one each of the Angels came in. Anna was very kind, but a little too suggestive in Dean’s opinion. Balthazar was a riot, he made Dean laugh harder than he had in a very long time in the short few minutes that he got to know him. Samandriel was sweet; he had made a very good first impression by just being silly and kind. He had also informed Dean that he preferred to be called Alfie, though why Dean wasn’t sure. And now it was down to the last one. Cast-Cas? What was the name?

 

“So what did you think of them?” Zachariah asked entering the room after taking Samandriel back to his ‘room’.

  
“Wait there was one more. Cas, something, I was supposed to meet them as well.” Dean contested pushing himself off the table and standing only a couple of feet away from Zachariah.

  
“That is not a wise decision, sir. Castiel is very dangerous.” He disclosed hesitantly.

  
“Bring him in.” Dean ordered and turned away not allowing another word on the subject be uttered.

  
“Yes, sir.” Zachariah sighed and turned to go retrieve Castiel.

  
It didn’t take long at all for Zachariah to get Castiel, and Dean recognize him the second he walked through the door. The blue-eyed angel. Castiel bowed to him and even spread his wings which was one thing none of the other Angels had done, and now Dean saw why. There were dark bruised welts all over Castiel’s back. A whip no doubt. And Dean saw as Zachariah winced at the dark marks scored all over Castiel’s back.

  
“It’s nice to meet you Cas, may I call you Cas?” Dean asked kindly stepping forward to offer him a hand shake like he had with all the other Angels only Balthazar and Anna had returned it. Cas simply looked at him, with his head tilted like he had before. It made Dean a little uncomfortable for the simple fact that it felt like he was looking directly into his soul.

  
“You were the one that was looking into my room earlier.” Castiel commented, “Why?”

  
That was one thing Dean had not heard before. An Angel asking questions. All the Angels that Dean had ever met never asked questions. They did as they were told and that was that. Zachariah looked livid with Castiel’s disobedience to ask a human anything of their intentions, but at least his question was a reasonable one. To ask why someone was watching him in his room seemed like a normal thing to want to know. So Dean shrugged and answered gladly.

  
“Because I was curious and you caught my attention.”

  
Castiel nodded his understand, “What kind of work are you getting a Worker for?”

  
That was another thing none of the other Angels had asked. All of them had tried their bests to make a good first impression, whereas Cas was more interested in the work that Dean was needing done.

  
“I need help working on cars. I’m a mechanic and I’d like a little more help around the shop.” Dean supplied going over to one of the many chairs at the large table and sitting down he pulled out the seat next to him and offered it to Cas. The Angel walked over but he sat down on the floor willingly and crossed his legs in front of him. His back was straight and his bright blue eyes were fixed firmly on Dean, his wings draped around him like a really fluffy cardigan allowing him to sit comfortably.

  
“Are you the one that drives the black 1967 Chevy Impala?” Castiel asked which surprised Dean immensely and the question even seemed to shock Zachariah who stayed stationed by the door.

  
“Yeah, that car has been in the family for years couldn’t bear to give it up. How’d you know that?” Dean admitted leaning forward in the chair and clasping his hands in front of him.

  
“One there aren’t very many models like that that roll into this place, and two when I was a part of the Guardians unit my master had taught me a lot about cars. He taught me how to fix them, drive them, clean them, and all the makes and models that he could name. He was a very kind man.” Castiel listed and nodded as he finished his short story.

  
“What happened to him?” Dean question kindly.

  
“Castiel killed him.” Zachariah accused.

  
“I did not kill Jimmy! Jimmy was a kind man, and when his wife and daughter left him he was distraught! He killed himself, and I couldn’t save him. I would have been able to if this God forsaken grace draining contraption wasn’t on my wrist. I didn’t kill Jimmy…” Cas claimed boldly but tapered off to a near whisper as he finished his explanation.

  
“I believe you, Cas.” Dean stated, looking at Castiel sadly.

  
“It’s time to go, Castiel, that is quite enough for today.” Zachariah insisted gesturing Castiel to head out the door. Castiel slowly got up from the floor and started to head for the door, knowing quite well that a major punishment was in store for him.

  
“Wait!” Dean called hastily getting up from his chair, “I want him. I want to be your new master.”

  
Castiel stopped and looked back at Dean in shock, “You don’t have to do this, sir. I know what I said was wrong, you don’t have to show pity for me.”

  
“I’m not showing pity. I want you to be my Worker.” Dean said firmly and looked to Zachariah for any objection. There was only shock.

  
“I-I’ll get the paperwork drawn up. I’ll be right back up.” Zachariah stuttered and walked away briskly.

  
Dean sat back down in the chair that he was in just moments before. He sighed heavily and sank into the cushions with a soft chuckle, his hands hung over the armrests of the chair and he just sat there deliriously happy for some unknown reason. Castiel continued to look at him in shock. After a few moments Dean felt a little too uncomfortable with Cas staring at him like that.

  
“Hey, Cas come sit back down it’s alright.” Dean offered gesturing to the seat next to him again, and once again Cas sat on the floor. But this time he knees were folded underneath him and his head was bowed it looked as if he were praying. Then very hesitantly Castiel gripped Dean’s right hand in both of his hands and placed a feather light kiss on his knuckles and proceeded to place his forehead on top of knuckles.

  
“Thank you very much, master, I am very grateful.” Castiel spoke softly. He let his hands let go of Dean’s and they dropped into his lap, but his head stayed bowed.

  
“Yeah, no problem Cas, and you don’t have to call me master. I’d actually prefer if you didn’t.” Dean answered looking at the Angel questioningly.

  
Many long minutes passed before Zachariah came back with many sheets of papers and a couple of pens. It took a whole thirty minutes to finally get through all of the agreements and get all of the paperwork filled out completely. As soon as all the I’s were dotted and the t’s crossed Zachariah led them back to the main entrance. At the desk sat a small brown suit case with Castiel’s name gilded on the side of it.

  
“I thought I had to go over to the Commanders building?” Dean asked skeptically.

  
“Not if you are taking him. He’s already been registered and you are clear to leave.” Zachariah assured.

  
Dean nodded his thanks and went over to pick up the suit case, but before he could so much as touch it Castiel stopped him and said that he would get it. Dean stepped back and allowed Cas to retrieve the suit case himself. They left the building without another word. The sun was now well past its highest arc in the sky and was well on its way to setting for the day. They reached the Impala and Dean pulled out his key to unlock the trunk Castiel set his suitcase in the trunk gingerly and stepped away.

  
“Well hop in we have a bit of a drive in order to get home.” Dean sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

  
“I’d rather not. I’ll just fly over you.” Cas replied.

  
“Why would you do that is it too uncomfortable to ride in a car with your wings?” Dean questioned.

  
“No it’s just… not right. I know you said you want help, and you seem like someone who wants a friend. But I’m a slave, and I know it well, it’s not my place to ride in the car with you.” Cas stated and pulled up his sleeves to show Dean the bracelets that kept a cap on his powers and marked him as a slave to humanity.  
“Well I’m not having you fly over my car either, so how about you sit in back seat if you like. It’s not at the same as where I sit, and I can still talk to you.” Dean bargained hoping that Castiel would accept the offer.

  
Castiel nodded his agreement and slipped into the back seat of the car. He ran his hand along the worn leather of the seats and a small smile split across his lips. Dean climbed into the car as well and started the car it roared to life instantly.

  
For most of the ride home neither of them said anything, but it wasn’t an awkward silence it was a companionable silence and Dean enjoyed it greatly. But then Cas had a question that was greatly bothering him and he had to ask it.

  
“Why are you so nice to me?”

  
“Because I’m a nice guy and you are a nice Angel.” Dean offered seeing if that satisfied Cas’s question. He looked at Cas through the rear view mirror. It hadn’t.  
Dean sighed he didn’t want to do this now. He wanted to gauge how Cas would react before he told him, but it looked like he wasn’t going to be given any other choice. Might as well suck it up and get it over with then. And if Cas disappears after he tells him, well too bad. It was a possibility.

  
“Okay I know that I won’t be able to do this properly until we get home, but I guess I’ll tell you now. I’m setting you free.” Dean revealed, and glanced back in the mirror again. This time Cas was looking back at him with that soul piercing stare.

  
“Why?” Cas asked in a whisper barely heard over the Impala’s engine.

  
“Because one, my brother and I are Angel’s Rights advocates. And two, I want you to work with me in the garage, but I want you to work with me of your own free will, not because you have to. And if you decide to leave when I let you go free, well that’s your choice, but I would be more than happy to have you stay.” Dean sanctioned.

  
“Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. I don’t know how to repay you.” Cas stammered and sat back in the sit silently for the remainder of the ride home.

  
They got to Dean’s house a small one story house with three bedrooms, one bathroom, a large kitchen, and a decent sized living room. Castiel grabbed his suitcase from the trunk and followed Dean into the house. Dean showed him where his room was (if he wanted it) and he gave him a quick tour of everything in the house.

  
Before Dean actually went through the physical process of freeing Castiel he wanted them to have one meal together. Sure it might seem a little selfish, but it was important to Dean and Castiel didn’t question it.

  
They worked together in the kitchen like a well-oiled machine.

  
‘Or like a couple.’ His mind had thought before he could stop it and he slapped that idea out of the air before it got any farther because that was most definitely _not_ an option.

  
In less than an hour and a half they had dinner on the table and it looked delicious. Burgers, fries, a salad (much to Dean annoyance, and under Castiel’s persistence), and a homemade pie was on the cooling rack. Though Cas didn’t need to eat –which he told Dean several times as they were making the food- Dean had insisted that they eat a meal together anyway. So they did.

  
The burgers were perfect juicy and bursting with flavor. And the salad much to Dean surprise was actually very good, and he had admitted that he might have been wrong. After cleaning up the dishes, drying them and placing them in their designated areas Dean pulled out paper plates to serve the pie.  
Castiel had looked at the pastry a bit skeptically before he broke of a piece of it with his fork and put it into his mouth without a complaint. And before Cas could say a word Dean knew he had loved it because his feather had shivered and it caused Dean to chuckle.

  
Then the stress began to set in again. The pie was put away and there was no way to post pone this any longer.

  
“So how does this go?” Dean asked turning to Castiel and rubbing at the back of his neck.

 

“You just have to take off the bracelets. They can only be taken off by my master.” Castiel informed.

  
“That’s it? No magic words or crazy trials. Just ‘take off the bracelets.’” Dean asked very skeptically.

  
“Um… there might be a repercussion I have been under the suppression of the bracelets for quite some time, so when you take them off my grace could flare and vaporize every living thing in this house including you.” Cas paused to gather his thought, “So if you truly want to do this I need to anchor to something. I need to… ‘ground’ myself. Like when you jump start a car, but I need to ground myself to a soul.”

  
“You would need to ground yourself to my soul?” Dean stated catching up with the program, “What will that do to me?”

  
“It may hurt quite a bit. But part of my grace will stay attached to your soul for the rest of time.” Castiel said and that fact hit Dean like a punch to the gut. What if Cas did decide to leave what then? Then he would have part of the grace of the Angel he freed sewn onto his soul like a patchwork job trying to cover the many holes Dean knew resided in his soul. One hole for all the people he had lost, or that had left him, or that he had left; and that made for almost more holes than a soul anymore.

  
“O-Okay.” Dean consented. He grabbed Cas’s right arm and pushed the sleeve up he grabbed he bracelet and pulled it. It opened like how shackles did and when it was resting in Dean’s hand it disintegrated into ash. Dean looked at the little pile of ash and looked up to see a single tear roll down Castiel’s face. Dean wiped it away and smiled at him encouragingly. One left.

  
He grabbed Cas’s other arm and pushed the sleeve up. Castiel in turn had grabbed Dean’s left shoulder to ground himself. Dean then yanked the bracelet off. At first nothing happened, and then everything was covered in a blinding white light. Dean closed his eyes, and then a hot almost scalding heat scourged through his core and it hurt. It was a worse pain Dean has ever felt, like someone had placed a red hot rock in his abdomen. Then everything went black.

  
~-~-~-~

  
Much later Dean woke up in his bed, which was very disorienting because he didn’t remember going to bed and the last place he remembered being was in the kitchen…with Castiel. Then it hit him, he had freed Castiel. And now obviously he was gone. He must have brought Dean to bed when he passed out, and then he hit the road. What did Dean expect? He had just freed an Angel that had been a slave for God knows how long and Cas probably wanted to go see the world, go see what has changed. Dean couldn’t blame him. But he was still going to miss him.

  
Once he had come to terms with this Dean noticed that his shoulder felt very sensitive he pulled up his sleeve and saw the bright pink welts of a handprint seared into his skin. Great, this will be fun to explain at the pool, or to any sexual partner he ever had after this.

  
‘CLUNK!’

  
There was a loud noise from the kitchen, and this startled Dean. Maybe Cas… NO! Cas had left he was certain of it. Then who was in his kitchen? Dean climbed out of bed silently and grabbed the gun that he kept in his bedside table. He turned the safety off and crept up to the entryway of the kitchen. With a deep inhale he stepped out from around the corner and pointed the gun at the intruder, but he dropped his aim almost immediately after.

  
There stood Cas.

  
“Hello, Dean.” He said softly and looked at the gun in Dean’s hand curiously. Then Dean realized that was the first time Cas had used his name instead of ‘sir’ or ‘master’ and he decided that rather enjoyed the Angel saying his name. Dean turned the safety back on and set it on the kitchen counter. And in two quick strides he wrapped the Angel in a tight hug.

  
“I thought you had left.” Dean stated.

  
“I’d rather like to stay if that’s okay with you.” Castiel replied hugging Dean back somewhat awkwardly.

  
“Stay for as long as you like, it’s your choice now.” Dean claimed and pulled back from Cas. He grabbed his hand lightly in his own and brought it up to his lips brushing a soft kiss across his knuckles and Castiel smiled brightly, and after seeing that Dean hoped to bring many more smiles like that to Castiel’s face.


End file.
